Katha Seidman

Night Walk is a romantic and mysteriously eerie three-dimensional narrative reflecting how imaginings of violence often tinge the experience of a peaceful landscape. Drawing inspiration from the work of Louise Bourgeois, Seidman cuts romantic beauty with undertones of depravity. Examining the beauty of nature; the pleasure of solitude; and the impact of horrors – real and imagined – Night Walk layers the beauty of moonlight in the woods with the fear of the unknown.

With a distressed staircase leading to a caged door, Night Walk exposes an eerie tower in the midst of a mural of moonlit autumn woods. A tilted mirror hanging on the door places the viewer in the midst of a drama in progress. A knotted sheet pouring out the door of the tower and down the stairs suggest capture and escape. Viewed from outside the gallery, this site-specific narrative exposes how distress from traumatic events upends the simple pleasure of walking in moonlight.

Echoing the world of fairy tales and pop-up books, Night Walk evokes questions: Can women be safe when they are alone in the world? How much do our fears dictate what we perceive? Outlining her motivation to make this work, Seidman explains, “We generate our vision of the world from stories, whether imagined or real. Depending on the emotions we bring to the experience, walking in moonlight by a pond can be beautifully romantic or darkened by terror.”This three-dimensional story contains an unsettling reality: women alone at night are vulnerable to violence.

Seidman’s work focuses on the complexity of nature, the power of place and the desire to tell commanding stories. Currently her work is also on view in Once There Was A House: echoes from the Villa of the Mysteries at the South Shore Art Center in Cohasset, a collaborative installation that explores our contemporary apprehension about the future. While continuing to show her artwork, Seidman has received two Emmy Awards and five nominations for television production design.